USAID donates 200 bicycles to UAF Women’s Cycling Club

The donation is part of a grant to empower women in Pakistan’s agriculture sector USAID’s Gender Equity Programme

FAISALABAD: The USAID on Friday donated 200 bicycles to the Women’s Cycling Club of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF).

The donation is part of a grant to empower women in Pakistan’s agriculture sector under USAID’s Gender Equity Programme.

USAID Mission Director John Groarke presided over the event where bicycles were donated to the club.

“Among the many challenges facing women during their education, and later on as they pursue careers, is access to safe and accessible transportation,” said Groarke. “It is our hope that these bicycles will help increase the mobility of women students on this campus. The confidence they gain from this experience will help them later in life as well,” he added.

UAF Vice Chancellor Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that women students had ridden bicycles on the campus in the ’70s, but the trend had declined later. He welcomed the gift of bicycles from the USAID. He said the university was trying to empower women and provide them state-of-the-art facilities. He said that a hostel for 1,000 girls funded by the Punjab government would be completed soon. He said the UAF had set up a hostel for working women, a day care centre and five hostels at the Postgraduate Agriculture Research Station.

Khan urged women to play their role in socio-economic development of the country. He said the UAF had been working on various projects for women’s empowerment in collaboration with the USAID and Aurat Foundation. He said the dream of development could not be realised without women’s participation at every level. He said that number of women faculty members at the UAF had increased from 35 in 2008 to 150 in 2016.  A student said, “I was a little hesitant when I first started cycling, but I am much more confident now.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2016.